This blog is the last one from me as a member of the company that manufactures and sells Tofino Security products. Joann Byres (Tofino co-founder and Belden Vice President) and I are retiring from the Tofino Security group at Belden effective January 30, 2015.

These days, industrial network security is a top of mind concern for managers in industrial automation organizations. However, there isn’t a simple formula for applying it and many engineers either don’t know where to start or don’t know how to develop practical skills in this area.

Add on the challenge of trying to implement something new, while still getting the day job done ... and all in all it can be overwhelming.

The age of malware specifically targeting industrial control systems (ICS) began in 2010 when Stuxnet was revealed to be disrupting operations at one of Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. Since that shock, we have seen advanced malware, such as Flame and Duqu, target energy companies for espionage purposes.

When I started Tofino Security in 2006, my two goals were to make industrial cyber security easy to deploy and better suited for the real needs of mission critical networks. Our first generation products went a long way in doing that, but like any initial offerings they reflected a limited feedback loop from users in the field.

Today I am proud to say that we have integrated lessons learned over the last eight years to deliver Tofino 2.0, our next generation of industrial cyber security solutions.